This invention relates in general to certain new and useful improvements in competitive action playing games and, more particularly, to competitive action playing games which utilize a shiftable ball-type playing piece which permits erratic movement on a playing board, and which also utilizes uniquely designed actuating members for propelling the playing piece.
There are presently a large number of prior art playing games in which a player at one of the pair of opposed player ends of a playing board attempt to actuate various forms of actuating members to initiate the movement of a playing piece toward the other opposed player's end. These various forms of playing games typically utilize goal areas at each of the opposed player ends and are operable in such manner that each of the players attempt to actuate a means for propelling a playing piece, such as a playing ball, toward the opposed player's end. When one of the players achieves movement of the playing piece into the opposed player's end, a score is achieved.
One form of prior art playing game in the form of a simulated basketball game employed a playing board having a plurality of recessed portions thereon with apertures. Striker elements were located to extend through these apertures in order to engage a playing piece which may land in the recesses. An individual actuating member at each of the opposed player ends of the game board, was provided for each striker element. Moreover, the playing board had a pair of upstanding baskets with the object of the opposed players to attempt to "kick" the playing ball by means of the striker elements into the opponent's basket. Moreover, some of the striker elements on this game board were larger than the others in order to compensate for distance from the baskets. The striker elements were mounted on rods for pivotal movement. Thus, each of the striker elements were pivoted upwardly and forwardly in order to engage and propel the playing ball.
One of the primary disadvantages of this prior art form of game is that the playing ball would often tend to be propelled off of the playing board, thereby interrupting the play and with the necessity of the players to retrieve the playing ball. Moreover, it was necessary for each of the players to select and actuate the appropriate individual actuating member or button at his playing end to thereby shift the proper striker element in order to engage and propel the playing ball. This large number of actuating members for operation added a degree of confusion and difficulty in playing the game. In addition, inasmuch as the striker elements were pivotally mounted with respect to the recesses, rather complex structure was required in order to actuate these striker elements.
There has also been a commercially available, erractically moving playing ball known under the commercial designation as "Crazy Ball". This ball included a weight which was on the inside of the outer ball or shell in order to provide erratic movement in air. This ball was not designed for use on a playing board, but was designed to provide the erratic movement between two players throwing and catching the ball.
The present invention provides a unique competitive action playing game which obviates many of the problems of the type mentioned above which were inherent with these prior art forms of playing games. The playing game of the present invention relies upon a playing board having a plurality of rows of recesses therein with striker elements located beneath the recesses in each of the rows. One actuating member is provided for actuating each of the striker elements associated with the recesses in that row. Thus, striker elements for each of the recesses in a row can be actuated by one of the opposing players by actuation of the actuating member for that row and second striker elements associated with each of the recesses in a row can be actuated by the other opposing player by actuation of the second actuating member for that row. In this way, as the playing ball tends to move into the lower portion of the recess, the two opposing players will attempt to actuate the associated striker elements in order to propel the ball toward the opponent's goal area. Moreover, the playing piece of the present invention employs a hollow outer shell with an inner element freely movable in the outer shell in order to provide an erratic movement on the game board and to also maintain the ball in close proximity to the game board as it is propelled. The ball tends to move sideways from row to row as well as in the direction of the rows. This erratic movement lends to an increased excitement in play in that the players can try to anticipate the row to which the ball will move and come to rest and quickly move their hands to operate the actuating member for that row.